Archive for December, 2007

Do you have old skis cluttering your basement / garage / shed ? Why not turn them into an Adirondack chair as a gift for a friend or yourself ?

Rick Chankalian has been working this year on transforming old skis into chairs & loveseats. He has accepted members old skis and made a loveseat for the lodge, see the photo below. Also shown is a photo of a chair Rick has made from his old skis.

Though it is a time consuming process, you can have a ski Adirondack chair / loveseat of your own, made from those old skis you can never decide what to do with.

You provide the old skis, select a wood and Rick will quote you a price for a chair or loveseat, which includes the cost of wood and labor involved to prepare and assemble the components. Base labor pricing is $250 and wood is quoted at cost. You can also provide your own wood if you have access to it.

Mother Nature is doing everything she can to inspire you to get out & ski.Â Cold rain & snow in New Jersey promises a white Christmas, Vermont resorts are reporting the best early season conditions in years, many having powder daze already !!Â Get out there & ski !!

Not much new this month so the report below may look familiar.Â

When patronizing retailers / resorts / restaurants in ski country or anywhere else, remember to show your Club membership card with the NJSC member sticker to inquire about discounts and deals.Â Also check the new NJSC web site for additional point of sale discounts under the Discount Programs – Membership Direct heading.
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Points of interest this month:

Special Olympics of New Jersey – January 28-29, 2008 – Mountain Creek.Â Join Special Olympics of NJ and their winter athletes for two days on the slopes of competition and fun.Â Special Olympics needs volunteers to join in the fun and accompany the athletes during races and events.Â Please visit www.sonj.org to download & complete the required volunteer form and get other pertinent information.Â Submit the completed form to Special Olympics ASAP to ensure your request to participate is processed in time.

NJSC – 2008 Domestic trip – Jackson Hole, WY – follow the link to the flyer. As of the December meeting, approx. 110 people are signed up and less than ten (10) spots are available.Â If you are interested, print the flyer & make contact with the trip organizers ASAP to secure your spot. 2007-2008-jackson-hole-flyer-generic.pdfÂ
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NJSC – 2008 International trip – Panorama, Britsh Columbia – CUT OFF FOR SIGN UPS IS DECEMBER 18, 2007 – follow the link to the flyer. This trip is a carry over from last year.Â There is a limited number of spots available so if you are interested, print the flyer & contact the trip organizers ASAP.Â 2008-njsc-panorama-trip-flyer.pdf

NJSC Discount Vouchers will be available thru Chris Budd at any Craigmeur meeting.Â Sign ups began October 03 & will continue through the winter.Â Payments will be taken with sign-ups.Â Sign-up cutoff / voucher delivery dates as follows:

Membership Direct offers point of sale discounts directly on the mountian.Â Once the info has been up-dated on the NJSC web site, you will be able to print a list of resorts offering discounts.Â In the meantime, try the following web sites for additional discounts:

Hidden Valley – NJSC Skier Appreciation Night – Thursday January 24, 2008 – one of the best deals around !Â Food, lift ticket, race, future discount ticket, all for us$29 per person.Â Print the flyer & plan on being THERE !! 2008-njsc-hidden-valley-night.pdf

ASIA / PSIA participation

Amatuer Ski Instructors of America / Professional Ski Instructors of America – if you want to improve your skiing skills, these programs are both highly recommended.Â Follow the link to the flyer and print a copy for your reference.Â Further information can be found on the NJSC web site.Â 2007-njsc-asia-program-info.pdfÂ
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Ski Bums of NJ – the ONLY weekly Wednesday ski bus to Hunter all winter long.Â Print the flyer for additional details.Â If you can get a group of 8-15 people, you can participate at the Ski Bums of NJ member rate.Â Details as per the flyer.Â

The NJSC State race will be held on Saturday, 2 February 2008 at Pico, Vermont. This year the format is the same as last year with the standard GS run in the morning and a Slalom run in the afternoon. If you are planning on attending please let know by January 16, 2007. If anybody is interested in lift tickets on the day of the race they are $45, lift tickets must be ordered in advance, please contact me if interested.

If interest in doing a race clinic @ Pico on Feb. 1, see enclosed for more information.pico-race-clinic.pdf

Also Killington lift tickets will available for Sunday at $50/ticket for adults, $45 for teen and senior and $37 for junior or super senior (provided the NJSC get a minimum of 20 tickets). They must be ordered in advance, please contact me if interested.

We are now taking reservations through the end of January.Â With the exception of Christmas Week and New Year’s Weekend we have availability all weekends.Â Please check out the calendar above for details.

Pelican Ski Shop on Rt. 10 in Morris Plains has agreed to repeat last year’s event with even better discounts on 2 days instead of 1. All discounts will be honored above and beyond the other offers they have as well. Such as Free Lift Tickets with a Ski purchase. You must bring a copy of this flyer that was also sent to you via e mail as well as your current Craigmeur Membership card. So stop by for some great deals and stock up on all your ski and snowboard gear. See you there, Roy

YES,, There is snow in Vermont and now 2+ more feet than on 12/1. This was another fabulous weekend to kickoff the ski season and the opening of our Craigmeur Ski Lodge. The lodge only had 28 people for this weekend, but it was one to remember. The crowd was mellow (maybe we are getting older?) while listening to the live tunes provided by Kevin McArdle and Wayne Post. And of course a great dinner of Chicken Cordon Bleu provided by Phil. The late night snacks of homemade pigs n blankets, sandwiches and pizza rolls were graciously provided by House Mom Tracy.
Some us arrived on Thursday and skied Okemo and Killington, Both were very well covered without crowds. Saturday, we all skied at Killington and had great conditions. And some skied Sunday before the deluge of snow blanketed New England.
The tunes spanned the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s while some people did dance, nothing was better than Vinnie Barone’s friend, Keith Dellvecchio tearing up the floor with dance moves straight out of a Dead concert. Go Keith (deadhead) !! At the same time, our newest member, Donald Taggert and his wife Despina experienced their 1st weekend at the lodge. Hopefully we were on our best behavior.
It was a fun weekend had by all. Come back to this post and see the pics and video footage of this great weekend. Regards, Roy

The 2008 WNRL will take place @ Mt. Creek beginning January 2, 2008 and running 6 weeks straight (weather permitting) to February 6, 2008. The races start @ 7:30pm and registration is 6:00pm â€“ 7:15pm. The registration will be at the Cobblestone Village building at the Vernon base, we can change and leave our shoes, boot bags, etc. there until after the race. When signing up take the first non-seeded position, the total fees are $30 which includes the race fee and lift ticket (for those with season passes the race fee is $10). You do not have to purchase the new My Mountain card to get this deal. Most of the races will be taking place on the ZERO G trail which will be closed to public, to ensure excellent conditions for the race.

The consolation race will be taking place on Thursday January 24th, 2008 @ Hidden Valley ..
one of the best deals around ! Food, lift ticket, race, future discount ticket, all for us$29 per person.
Print the flyer & plan on being THERE !!